Ulster County effort to pay state Assembly to consider sales tax extension fails

By
Patricia Doxsey, Daily Freeman

Monday, October 21, 2013

KINGSTON >> A proposal for Ulster County to pay the state Assembly to return to session in Albany will not make it to the floor of the Ulster County Legislature today, unless the chairman of the county Legislature’s Laws and Rules Committee can be convinced to hold a last-minute meeting to reconsider the idea.

The measure was defeated in a 3-1 vote by the Laws and Rules Committee meeting on Monday.

Legislature Majority Leader Ken Ronk attempted to use a number of procedural moves -- including first changing his ‘yes’ vote to a ‘no’ vote and then voting against adjourning the committee meeting -- in an effort to keep it alive, even though he conceded that he did not foresee the offer enticing the Assembly back into session.

The Legislature’s Ways and Means Committee last week approved a resolution authorizing the county to pay the state Assembly $75,000 to return to Albany to vote on the county’s sales tax extension bill.

Because the resolution came after the submittal deadline, it can’t go to the full Legislature without being passed out of the Laws and Rules Committee.

Only four of the committee’s seven members attended the Monday meeting, meaning that it needed a unanimous vote to pass out of committee. Minority Leader David Donaldson, R-Kingston, voted against the measure, calling it a “facade.”

Ronk, R-Wallkill, then quickly changed his vote to “no,” a move that allows him to bring the measure back for reconsideration. He then attempted to prolong the meeting by discussing future charter changes, and, when that failed, voted against a motion to adjorn the meeting, in the hope that another, pro-resolution committee member would show up.

After waiting several minutes for another legislator to appear, committee members simply left the room, essentially ending the meeting.

Ronk said he hopes to convince Committee Chairman Kevin Roberts, R-Plattekill, to call a meeting for just before the Legislature’s full meeting to reconsider the measure.

County officials have said the county will lose up to $5 million in the months of December, January and February without state permission to continue charging an additional 1 percent sales tax. The state Assembly adjourned in June without taking up county’s extension request, after Assemblyman Kevin Cahill introduced three bills of his own, placing conditions on the approval.

The county currently charges a sales tax of 4 percent on top of the state’s 4 percent sales tax. Without the extension, the county tax rate will drop to 3 percent starting Dec. 1.